Originally I wasn't going to participate in this month's Silhouette Challenge. I mean, it wasn't like my blog lacked Silhouette projects this month.. (like here, here, here and here..)

However.. when I saw these burlap stars show up on my Facebook page, I KNEW I had to knock them off.
There wasn’t much to them, and for $30 I could make a whole galaxy of stars. What better excuse to drag out my Silhouette? (Oh, who am I kidding.. it never leaves the dining room table..)

Yes I am obsessed with my Silhouette and no, they don't pay me to say that!

There are also a bunch of other awesome "Patriotic" themed Silhouette projects included at the end of this post.. so be sure to visit those too.

Here is what my finished monthly project looks like handing by the front porch:

To make them I first cut strips of burlap. However wide you want your star, your strip needs to approximate HALF that wide. The wider the strips are the longer they have to be (My really large stars actually required two strips).

Even though it seems like summer has just begun, it is about time to start thinking about Back To School once again. I know some of my friends with year round school have already started up! How time does fly.

In order to get the year started out on the right foot, it is always fun to bring a small gift in to your child’s new teacher on the first day. And since mason jars are all the rage right now, I thought I would round up 15 unique Teacher Gift ideas from Mason Jars. I’m not talking about ‘recipe mixes’ in a jar, but ideas that are a little more outside the box.

15 Unique Teacher Mason Jar Gift Ideas:

It is the last week of school before Christmas break and I am getting my teacher gifts all lined up.
I have done a lot of different teacher gifts over the years and I’m always trying to get away from the ‘cutesy’ gift ideas that teachers don’t actually want or need.

When I surveyed my teacher friends for what they actually wanted, and what would show them that a parent appreciates them for all their hard work, I got the same tongue in cheek answer over and over: BOOZE.

Welcome back to another All Things Creative project showcase. This week the team is brining you their best furniture makeovers that involve paint.

Each of these pieces got new life after being painted. If you want to be wowed, click over to the befores. This is just proof that you don't need a lot of expensive tools, or to tear something completely apart to make it look totally different!

Over spring break, myself and the kids had the opportunity to hop in the car and take the quick 3.5 hour drive over the mountains out to Reno, Nevada. The often overlooked little brother to Las Vegas, Reno offers so much to do for both adults and families, and it is right on the doorstep of Northern California.

Once again I’m the Teacher Appreciation day coordinator for my daughter’s class and so once again I’m on a mission to find cute ideas for classroom gifts. This year I am assembling a book with thank you notes from each of the kids in class telling our classroom teacher why we appreciate her. I thought this would be really easy.. I’d just go to Pinterest, find cute little template, print it out and VOILA. No sweat!

Today’s project would be a perfect starter project for any brand new woodworker, since it doesn’t require a lot of expensive materials, the cuts are all very repetitive and you get to work with some simple angles.
It is a simple hexagonal tray made out of nothing more than a 96 cent furring strip and an old piece of wooden chipboard I took off the back of a cheap ‘assemble it yourself’ bookcase.

It's Pam from Clever Little Mouse and I have an awesome Mother's Day gift idea to share with you.

When my son was little, my favorite gifts and school art projects were the ones that were made with his handprints. He's a teenager now and those little chubby hands are bigger than mine these days, but I still have a few of those projects tucked away. If you have little ones - or know someone who does - this tote bag is a sweet way to capture a fleeting moment before they grow up. It happens so fast!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scrub Daddy for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have always used little crocheted plastic mesh scouring pads on my dishes. I never used sponges since the germaphobe in me couldn’t stand the idea of a squishy cold block of foam sitting in it’s own moisture.

I never used steel wool since I have too many pans with teflon or plastic and that stuff could take the paint off your car, plus they rust like a mamma-jamma and I want to clean rust stains off my sink about as much as I want to wash my dishes! So the little plastic nylon donuts were my scrubber of choice.
That was until I met Scrub Daddy. *Cue heart eyes and birds singing*
The most popular product to ever get its start on the show Shark Tank. (Oh yes.. how do you like that little piece of trivia?) The Scrub Daddy is American’s Favorite Sponge and I can see why. He has knocked my little plastic scrubby off it’s pedestal and smiled the entire time he was doing it!

Now that spring is getting closer I am looking forward to the warmer weather and using my outdoor space once again. Creating a welcoming and functional patio or porch doesn’t have to be expensive, but there are some basic items you will want to invest in if you want to get the most out of your outdoor space.

If you do happen to have a larger budget, or are willing to DIY a few projects, there are some additional features you could add to create an even more luxurious atmosphere. I’m sharing both budget friendly and more extravagant options in this roundup, since we all can use as much inspiration as we can get!

10 Must Haves for the Perfect Patio Space

When you have multiple children, furniture that you use year after year can get really beat up. In order to give new life to a piece, you can update kids' furniture with paint and a new style.
We bought this little wooden table for my older kids a few years ago, and even though they outgrew it, my youngest still uses it all the time. It is pretty banged up and could definitely use a refresh.

A few years ago, you may remember my master bathroom was completely made over. I pulled out the horrific 'faux marble' and put in tumbled travertine and glass pencil tile.

I also replaced all the mirrors and replaced the counters, painted the vanity and added new cabinetry.
But the one part of the bathroom that was untouched.. the water closet (which housed the toilet). It was a funny little room with an angled door. I never really mentioned it in that series of posts, since it was sort of it's own room, and keeping it all builder white seemed good enough.
But now that is has been two years, I thought maybe it was about time to get that little room to match it's big brother.. and so it was WATER CLOSET MAKEOVER TIME and Dunn Edwards was going to help!